Mercedes-Benz is expanding its green power portfolio in cooperation with the energy supplier Enovos and the Norwegian energy producer Statkraft. From 2022 onwards, the company will purchase electricity in Germany which comes exclusively from renewable sources. A green power supply contract ensures the purchase of electricity from renewable energy sources at all times.

The CO₂-free electricity from solar, wind and hydro sources is generated in various power plants, most of which are located in Germany. These include a part of a solar park with the size of 60 football pitches near Ingolstadt and 24 wind farms with a total of more than 200 wind turbines. The electricity generated from this is roughly equivalent to the amount consumed by 65,000 households annually. The intelligent mix is supplemented by electricity from flexible hydropower plants.

Generation of green electricity is synchronized to follow patterns of consumption so that a supply from the grid with green electricity can be guaranteed on a quarter hourly basis. In many previous green power contracts, feed-in to the grid takes place purely on an annual balance basis.

A green power concept of this type and scale is so far unique in Germany. It enables the subsidy-free construction of the solar park as well as the continued operation of the wind turbines, which will no longer be subsidized under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) from this year.

In 2018, Mercedes-Benz was the first major industrial customer in Germany to secure the long-term continued operation of six wind farms in northern Germany after the end of the EEG subsidy through a similar concept. The first Mercedes-Benz locations are already being supplied with this CO₂-free electricity.

The global production of Mercedes-Benz will be CO₂-neutral at its own plants starting in 2022. As of next year, electricity purchased for our plants will also come exclusively from renewable sources—in other words, 100 percent green electricity worldwide. The expansion of the green power portfolio in Germany is an important basis for this.

—Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG for Production and Supply Chain Management

In Germany, green electricity procurement is ensured not only for the passenger car production plants, but for all Daimler locations. This also includes the German van, truck and bus plants as well as the central and administrative units—more than 100 locations in total.